Spring Training Tips

Commitment drives you to aim out of the ballpark and adds significance to all that you do.

                                                                                                                                                                                                    -anonymous

• Plan Ahead: Know your job and expectations and come up with a personal plan on how to meet and exceed your company requirements and your personal career oriented goals.  (Remember, your career is the part of your life you spend working regardless of title, training or certification/degree.)

Wear Sunscreen: Or in your industry this can mean a power suit or whatever gear needed to keep you safe; always practice safety.  

Workout: Make sure you get the training necessary to do your job and coach yourself how to play.  Learn and routinely practice the following:

to throw -Have an idea?  Get in the habit of sharing what you think with everyone on your team.  Your idea may not necessarily make it to first base but it may be the arm behind the grand slam.

to catch- listen and hear what your team has to say and what your company needs are.

to play outfield- Most believe that outfielders are the most important players on a team because they catch pop-ups, hold runners at bases and stop anything from getting past them…be quality control, look for errors before they happen and hold your team accountable.    

to hit- Or in other words meet your goals.  Ask yourself what you can do to reach your mark and get it done.  In baseball, you’ll need a bat and a ball…At XYZ company, in your department, you’ll need (fill in the blank).

base running- in the production line (weather office or manufacturing), can you perform quality work with what’s been handed to you? 

Can the next person perform quality work off of what you’ve delivered?

pitch- realize that it’s okay to “pitch the ball” to the batter so that they may make the hit. 

• Mentally prepare yourself- Know what success looks like and feels like.
• Play Game- Arrive to work prepared and ready to:
• Play Fair

Be part of the team
Pull your weight
Give your team all you’ve got

Clear with a 0% chance of precipitation...

When it comes down to it, every Successful SUPERvisor starts with a vision.  The key is to communicate the vision continually with a look at the days events and a forecast at what tomorrow will bring and how it will get you closer to your vision.  Your job is to remind your team what they are working towards, help your employees recognize what they need to do to get there and be there to explain why.

Be Clear

¨ Share your ultimate goal

¨ Start with the end in sight

¨ Come up with a plan

¨ Be Proactive vs. Reactive

¨ Base decisions on values

¨ Evaluate & Measure progress

¨ Communicate with your team

Take Action:    Communicate.   Your job is to remind your team what they are working towards, help your employees recognize what they need to do to get there and be there to explain why.

Keep On: 

looking back at what you’ve done; evaluate your progress.

being Proactive rather than reactive

communicate the vision, state direction, involve and challenge the team to go for it!   

acting out and aligning your values with your company values and those of your employees.   Walk the talk.

delivering the VIP Treatment

being the Expert Extraordinaire

giving and continue to establish a good reputation

copycatting the SuccessfulSUPERvisors of your past

telling yourself that you’re a Super SUPERvisor!

believing.  Remember, you’ve made the conscious decision to lead

Where are you headed and how are you getting there?

Did you know that only half of the people who set goals this will actually meet their goals?

We set out at the beginning of the year with motivation to succeed as supervisors, to improve our departments and to reach for goals that would result in productivity and activated employees.  Do you remember what some of your specific goals were?  Three months into the year, what have you done to maintain vision and make decisions based on your goals?  According to Stephen Covey the best way to meet your goals and to actively remember what they are is to “begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen”.   You are now a quarter of the way to your goal deadline, how are you doing?  Where are you?  It’s time to evaluate your progress...

¨ Did you write your goals down yet?

¨ Are you copycatting those who've reached your goals?

¨ Is your team on board?

¨ Have you practiced making decisions based on your goals?

¨ Have you become proactive vs. reactive?

¨ Are you specific enough to know what the end looks like?

Take Action:    Look back at the last 3 months and evaluate what you’ve done to get you closer to the goals you set at the end of the year and focus on what more can be done to reach your goals within the next 9 months. 

Keep On: 

• being Proactive rather than reactive
• communicate the vision, state direction, involve and challenge the team to go for it!   
• acting out and aligning your values with your company values and those of your employees.   Walk the talk.
• delivering the VIP Treatment
• being the Expert Extraordinaire
• giving and continue to establish a good reputation
• copycatting the SuccessfulSUPERvisors of your past
• telling yourself that you’re a Super SUPERvisor!
• believing.  Remember, you’ve made the conscious decision to lead

What will you work on tomorrow?

You’re most likely to struggle with disorganization if you wait until the start of each work day to plan out your  day.  Before arriving to work today, did you have a plan?  What’s on tomorrow’s agenda? 

The difference between having a plan and not having a plan is being proactive versus reactive.   To be proactive means to think and plan ahead so that you dictate what is on the agenda and what actually happens as opposed to being reactive - allowing events to set the agenda for you.  You’ll find that when you react by allowing events to set your agenda, you fail to prioritize and get things done in order of importance.  Leaders who are proactive not only write down what needs to get done but they also take control and embrace the “what can go wrong” or “what’s the worst that can happen” approach by having more than one plan.  Doing so tends to eliminate problems before they occur and paves the way for employees with direction.   The working environment becomes less stressful and allows employees the time and opportunity for a more creative and problem- solving approach.  

Here are the top 3 things you can do to be proactive leader:

• Write it down:  Start a “to do tomorrow” list – every time you think of something that needs to be done, write it down
  or add it to your task list.  Take 5 minutes at the end of the day to prioritize your list; this becomes tomorrow’s agenda. 
• Have a Plan B: Plan for what is likely and unlikely to happen and react to  it before it happens
• Take a Time Out: Before putting out a wild fire, take a break and reflect on the values you operate under, your ultimate goal and whether or not the issue really is your fire.  Remember, what may be urgent for someone else who wasn’t proactive may not be urgent for someone who is proactive.  

Did you know that you can actually hear the difference between proactive leaders and reactive leaders?  Here is how each may sound:

Reactive Leaders will say:

Ø       My department sucks?

Ø       I don’t have time to plan

Ø       I’ll try to

Ø       I’m too tired

Ø       I’m not good at that

Ø       I didn’t see that coming

Ø       What will I get out of this?

Proactive Leaders will ask:

Ø       How can my department improve, & how will I get there?

Ø       How can I make time to plan?

Ø       I'll do it, here is how…

Ø       What can I do to increase my energy?

Ø       How can I get better at it?

Ø       What can I do so this doesn't happen again?

Ø       What do I want to get out of this?

Which are you?  Which do you want to be?  How will you get there?

Take Action:    Be Proactive! 

Keep On: 

•     communicate the vision, state direction, involve and challenge the team to go for it!   
•     acting out and aligning your values with your company values and those of your employees.   Walk the talk.
•     delivering the VIP Treatment
•     being the Expert Extraordinaire
•     giving and continue to establish a good reputation
•     copycatting the SuccessfulSUPERvisors of your past
•     telling yourself that you’re a Super SUPERvisor!
•     believing.  Remember, you’ve made the conscious decision to lead

Rational behavior requires theory. Reactive behavior requires only reflex action. 

-W. Edwards Deming

What's your VISION?

Most employees aren't really sure what they're working for, they show up and get the job done; the expectation, to get paid.  A Successful SUPERvisor knows that in order for maximum productivity and team/department success, they must provide the employee with more than expectations.  Great leaders do this by creating a vision. 

vi•sion [vizh’n] (visions)

1.  eyesight the ability to see

2.  Mental Picture

an image or concept in the imagination; visions of power and wealth

3.  Something seen in dream or trance

4.  Far-sightedness

the ability to anticipate possible future events and developments 

A vision paints a picture of what success looks like to your team, your department, your company and you.  Below are three examples of visions painted by successful leaders that almost everyone is familiar with:  

·         Hope and Change—President Obama

·         I have a dream—Martin Luther King, Jr.

·         Landing a man on the moon & returning him safely to the Earth—Pres. Kennedy      

A vision can establish direction, set the pace, increase productivity and improve employee satisfaction when shared with and approved by your employees.  The key is to do so in a way that will hold your employees interested and involved!  For example, a manager who oversees a production department that has a high risk for injury may share his/her vision of throwing a pizza lunch party after going 30 days without an accident.  This vision holds the employee interest by offering an incentive to meet the goal.  It keeps the employees involved by motivating and holding them accountable to practice safety first.  This vision also has the potential to inspire employees to come up with new and improved safety solutions and can give employees the feeling that they are part of something bigger then themselves should a successful SUPERvisor take it as far as educating employees on the negative impact injuries have on the entire company and the positive effect employees can have on the entire company when 30 days without an injury happens.   

"The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. It's got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion." 

--Theodore Hesburgh, President of the University of Notre Dame

Take Action:    communicate the vision, state direction, involve and challenge the team to go for it!   

·         Communicate - articulate clearly on what your vision looks like.  Think “show & tell”

·         Direct – give direction; work with your team on creating a road map, set a timeline 

·         Get Busy - Work, Work, Work with your vision in mind

·         Reward - recognize hard work, good work and accomplishments with kind words, thank you notes, certificates or prize incentives 

·         Repaint - as your team and department begin to grow, reevaluate your vision and make sure that it all still applies.  Let your team know that it is okay to repaint the vision as you grow.

Keep On: 

·         acting out and aligning your values with your company values and those of your employees.  Walk the talk.

·         delivering the VIP Treatment

·         being the Expert Extraordinaire

·         giving and continue to establish a good reputation

·         copycatting the SuccessfulSUPERvisors of your past

·         telling yourself that you’re a Super SUPERvisor!

·         believing.  Remember, you’ve made the conscious decision to lead

Walk the Talk

Did you know that Supervisors who practice their personal values in the work place have a powerful influence on the actions of their staff and co-workers?

Employees become engaged at work when they believe in whom they are working for and what they are working towards.  They look at their supervisors as role models and base decisions and actions according to the values their SUPERvisors practice.  For example, an employee may be more likely to use his cell phone in a no cell phone environment if he has seen his supervisor do it versus one who has a SUPERvisor that sets the example by following the rules.   The bottom line is, it’s important to not only know what your company values are but to practice and align them with your own and those of your employees.  Employees become disengaged when a supervisor’s leadership style does not coincide with their own or the companies written (handbook, newsletter, emails) values.  If one of your values is based on punctuality and you are never on time, employees will not see the urgency of getting to work or back to work accordingly.  According to ELI’s, THE CASE FOR VALUES IN THE WORKPLACE, survey, “83% of business costs were attributed to issues such as decreased productivity and quality, increased complaints, and high employee turnover”, all consequences of a leadership style without values.  As SUPERvisors, our decisions and actions should be based on our written values and the values we have aligned to engage our employees.  If one of your company values is based on hard workmanship and you have a reputation for surfing the web or making personal phone calls during work hours, your employees will lose respect for you and mirror your behavior.  So, if one of your values is based on hard workmanship, your employees should really only see you working hard.  It's the old if you’re going to “talk the talk, you need to walk the walk” idea.  Setting the example is the only way a SUPERvisor can teach values in the workplace.  It doesn’t seem like much but think about what an impact adding values to your department can make, especially after hearing that 83% of business costs are due to lack of values.  Think about how great it would make you if you increased productivity and quality and decreased complaints and turnover!    

Take Action:   This week “walk the talk”.  Align  employee values with your own and those of the company.  Make sure you communicate the values to your employees and incorporate them in your own behavior.  

Keep On: 

• delivering the VIP Treatment
• being the Expert Extraordinaire
• giving and continue to establish a good reputation
• copycatting the Successful SUPERvisors of your past
• telling yourself that you’re a Super SUPERvisor!
• believing.  Remember, you’ve made the conscious decision to lead.